


Pairing the Spares: And The First Date

by imonlyheresoIdontgetfined



Series: Pairing the Spares [2]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 07:08:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3682698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imonlyheresoIdontgetfined/pseuds/imonlyheresoIdontgetfined
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny Lawrence and Lola Perry go on their first...date?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pairing the Spares: And The First Date

Danny awoke to the soft vibration of her phone muted by a pillow. With her eyes still shut, she reached around her immediate area to find the device. After a few seconds of searching, she located the phone and brought it close to her face and squinted against the harsh light in her eyes. She used her thumb to check her notifications, three new e-mails.

No, she didn't want the secret to getting a bigger penis in six weeks.

She didn't care that sexxilexxi sent her a message on her Planet Sappho profile.

And yes, she remembered she was responsible for organizing a blood drive by the end of the month for a potential candidate.

After checking her e-mail, she noticed she had one unread text message. She smiled, knowing exactly who it would be at seven-fifteen on a Saturday morning, it was Lola Perry.

Since their meeting, they'd taken to texting each other. Good mornings, good nights and just general light hearted conversation. For some reason Danny never called Lola, she told herself it was to maintain a mystique but if she was being entirely honest she was a little nervous. Nervousness was not a quality of hers, it never was and never would be. She had been with several partners, male and female, and she never had a problem 'picking someone up' if she wanted to. She was a bit cocky and she had always been confident but all of that bravado seemed to go missing when she spoke to Lola - even in a text based format.

The text Lola sent her was a simple good morning with an emoji winking and blowing a kiss with a small heart.

That was new.

And what did the emoji mean?

A winky kiss?

Was Lola hinting at something, maybe?

Danny rubbed her temples then tossed her phone to the side. She was not going to become one of those people. The kind that over analyzed messages sent to them, the kind that read body language and talked at length about how so and so was sending them 'signals' all night.

Danny reached for her nightstand, procured her glasses and slid them into place. She read the message once more, then settled on replying a good morning as well, no emoji included.

Her thumb hovered over the send button.

But what if Perry was some how offended that she didn't include one?

"Damnit, what is happening to me?" She groaned in frustration, eyeing the blinking cursor. She took off her glasses once more and placed one of the temple tips between her teeth, as she often did when in deep thought. She wondered if maybe she should skip the text all together and simply call her.

Danny fucking Lawrence would call her.

Danny Lawrence would charm her, in a half sleepy voice, then mention she was still in bed and ask her to come over playfully to join her. It was a simple line but surprisingly it worked, often.

This new Danny was too busy picking between an emoji smiling or an emoji smiling with its teeth showing.

How absolutely fucking lame.

After deciding against sending a message at all, she placed her phone on the charger and slid out of bed. She began picking up her discarded clothes from the night before. Danny didn't consider herself to be slobbish but she was no stranger to a few beer cans and wine glasses that sat emptied far too long on her night stand, or having her bedroom floor littered with slacks and discarded heels. She worked often and moved quickly, sometimes she simply didn't have the time.

After straightening up a bit, she began preparing for her morning work out routine. It was the one thing she made room for every morning, she also tried to get in a good jog once a week. In her bra and the tight fitted shorts she slept in, she padded over to her desk, flicked on her laptop and selected her workout mix.

Danny dropped to the ground and began doing push-ups when she was interrupted by the familiar Skype jingle. She stopped and lifted up on her knees to check the caller ID.

It was Laura.

She answered of course but, she didn't let it detour her from her workout.

A few seconds later, Laura appeared in view, her laptop positioned and angled similarly to her Silas University project. Only this time there wasn't a shabby door room behind her, it was her home. Well, her and Carmilla's home. She could see how their different styles influenced their living space, a strange but aesthetically pleasing blend of Carmilla's sophistication and Laura's quirky adventurer spirit.

Laura hadn't changed too much over the years, she was still beautiful, girlish but with a bit more knowledge behind her vibrant brown eyes. She smiled and leaned forward in her seat, her desk covered in papers and other keepsakes she had picked up during travel.

"Hey Danny!" Laura said chipperly, adding just a tiny wave.

"Hey Laura." Danny said breathily in between push-ups. "What's up?

"Nothing, just checking in on you. I haven't heard from you in a bit and I got a little worried."

Danny paused her workout and took a seat in front of her computer. Laura was the most sincere person she had ever met, if she was concerned it was always genuine. She wasn't checking in on you to be nosy, she wasn't trying to pry, she was simply concerned about your general well being.

"Meh, I can't complain." Danny said with a light shrug.

"Good." Laura said and nodded firmly. "I just...I feel like we don't reach out to one another anymore. Not just you and I but all of us. When is the last time we all just hung out, ya know? Like the old days?"

"Oh, you mean go out and find another evil vampire to kill? Just for funsies?" Danny added sarcastically.

"You know what I mean Danny. Just...I miss you guys. I know we all have our lives but I think we should all make the effort to get together sometime, that's all." Laura said her face dipping into a glum little smile that slipped to one side of her face.

"Okay Laura, okay." Danny submitted, after all who wouldn't submit to that face? "We'll make time, I promise. Tell me where and when and I'm there."

"Yay!"

Then Laura did something Danny hadn't seen her do in quite some time, she did her excited chair jig. Danny shook her head, and laughed.

"So, what's been going on in your world Danny?"

"Same old stuff, let's talk about your world."

"Uh, nope. Every time we catch up we talk about me, I want to hear about Danny Lawrence."

"Let's see...Danny...Danny...doesn't ring a bell."

After a stern look from Laura, Danny threw up her hands in surrender.

"Works the same, shitty hours and tons of stress. That's about it." Another shrug from Danny.

"What about your...personal life? Whose going to take Danny Lawrence off the market for good?" Laura asked then grinned with an eyebrow raised.

Danny's thoughts immediately fell on Lola and the unanswered emoji text.

"I don't know about all that but...I did meet someone." Danny already knew Perry of course but, she felt like she had never truly met her until that day in the coffee shop and at the bar.

"You met someone?!"

"Technically - "

Before Danny could elaborate Carmilla appeared in frame, a mug in either of her hands. She softly kissed the side of Laura's head and set a mug in front of her. When Carmilla looked at the screen, she sighed and cocked her head to the side.

"Don't tell me you're watching lesbian dorm room porn again?"

Laura's mouth dropped. "I am not Carmilla! And for the last time...." Laura folded her arms across her chest. "...that was a pop-up."

"Yeah, sure cupcake. A pop-up that debited our account 59.99 for three months." Carmilla sipped from her mug and keened her eyes at the screen. "Interviewing WNBA stars again?"

"Oh for the love of - it's Danny." Laura said then gestured towards the screen.

Danny rolled her eyes, of course Carmilla knew it was her. She was just being a complete bitch. Remembering her promise to Laura about trying with Carmilla, Danny smiled. "Hey Carmilla."

"Danny." Carmilla said curtly then, mug still in hand, slid a seat beside Laura.

After a beat of awkward silence, Laura perked up again. "So, you met someone Danny?"

"Yeah, she...I don't know..." Danny thought back on her time with Perry, how carefree she felt while around her and most importantly her desire to be around her longer. That didn't happen with most people she took interest in. Much like her job, relationships moved quickly. Love was quick to bloom and twice as quickly to wither away.

"Well, that's not a good start." Carmilla said dryly and Laura classically kicked at her from out of view of the webcam.

"She's different, different then any other person I've ever met."

"That so? Sure you didn't fall asleep watching I don't know every teen movie that's ever existed?"

Danny didn't lie to Laura, she had tried but enough was enough. "I'm trying to talk to Laura here, so you think you can cool it Lestat?"

"Guys! Guys!" Laura said exasperatedly. "Can you two just not, for once, please?"

"Sorry." Carmilla and Danny said in unison, still trading frowns through the webcam.

"Now. This girl? What is she like?"

"She's funny and she's pretty but she's the cautious sort. I've only really been around her once but, I don't think I've ever felt as happy in any other persons company in a very long time. I mean we text about anything and she knows a little bit about everything. She's interesting and kind and thoughtful and..."

"Okay, you're gushing that's adorable."

In the background, Carmilla pretended to gag.

"You've only been around her once though? Why not ask her out on a date?"

"That's the thing, every time I put myself up to do it - I can't."

"Why...oh...OH." Laura cupped her cheeks with either of her hands. "You're nervous. That's so cute!"

"It's not cute, it's pathetic."

"Here, here." Carmilla said then raised her mug and sipped.

"Well, I think it's precious. My advice, you end this call, you put on your big girl pants and call this girl. Because Danny, you are amazing and you deserve someone just as amazing as you are."

"Thanks Laura, I'll think about it."

"No thinking, just action. And action is what Danny Lawrence is infamous for." Laura raised her mug to take a sip from her cup. "So you'll call her?"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess."

"Super! I'll let you get to it, talk to you later because I want all the details."

Carmilla picked at a nail then tossed and uninterested glance at the screen. "I'm just brimming with excitement."

Danny shot another glare at Carmilla before directing her attention to Laura. "Will do."

Danny ended the call then closed her laptop. She stood, plopped onto the bed, grabbed her phone then dialed.

* * *

 

Perry stood in the middle of her living room, her hands on her waist. Wrapped around her waist was a utility belt, only the holsters and spaces meant for tools were replaced with scrub brushes, dusters, air freshener, anti-bacterial spray and her favorite product Mrs. Meyers Lavender cleaner. Her eyes scanned her nearly spotless home, satisfied with the area she turned her attention to her kitchen. She walked in, hands at her side like she was in the old west.

Lola paused for a moment then noticed water spots on the crook of her kitchen sink faucet. Her eyes narrowed on it as she snapped on her yellow rubber gloves. She reached for the lavender cleaner twirled it in one hand and then began spraying, the other hand reaching for her spaghetti scrub. After placing the cleaner to the side she went to work on the faucet, her tongue peeking just outside of her mouth as she scrubbed with complete focus.

As she was hitting her scrubbing stride, her phone rang.

There were a few things that truly bugged Lola; in-home pets, people that didn't put their baskets in the cart wranglers in parking lots, dust, mold and being interrupted by anything while cleaning.

She sighed and removed her gloves, placed them on the counter and walked over to her phone.

It was Danny. She wasn't expecting a call from Danny, they usually communicated through text. Text were easy, text were simple. Texts gave you time to think, they gave you time to attack things at different angles before replying - phones robbed you of that luxury.

Without much time for contemplation, Perry answered. She paused for a split second to think of what her greeting should be. Would a hello be too much? Would a hi be too formal?

"Hey there." Perry greeted then fixed the blue bandanna that held her hair up in a tight bun, mentally patting herself on the back for the graceful greeting.

"Hey, what are you up to this morning?"

"I'm...just doing a bit of cleaning. Hard to find time to do it during the week." She lied. She lied and she had no idea why. There was always time for cleaning.

"Totally. So, I was thinking about what a great time we had hanging out and, if you're free, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to...get together some time?"

Was Danny asking her out on date? She didn't say date but that would be a date, right? Or would it be like two old friends hanging out like before?

"Perry?"

"Yeah?"

"You're terrifying me over here, am I that much of a pain you have to weigh the pros and cons before saying yes?"

"NO, no not at all. I just, I..."

"If you have other plans its fine - "

"It's not that, I'm free. Super free like, nothing coming up for me at all." Lola pinched the bridge of her nose then mentally chastised herself for letting on she was so utterly available.

"Well, how about tonight?"

"Tonight, tonight?"

"No tomorrow tonight." Danny laughed. "I'm only teasing, yes, tonight. We can meet up somewhere around 7 or so?"

"That sounds good. I actually heard of a really great restaurant, I can text you the details, oh and their yelp reviews and - "

"The address is all I need, I trust your judgement."

Perry smiled. "So I'll get everything over to you and I guess I'll see you then?"

"Alright, see you then."

When Lola disconnected the phone, she immediately began nervously nibbling at her thumbnail. It was an awful habit but whenever she was nervous it was an automatic reaction.

She was going out with Danny tonight. Was this a platonic outing? Utterly confused, she decided she needed an opinion on the matter and dialed Lafontaine.

"Hello?" Lafontaine answered their voice heavy with sleep.

"What are you doing?"  
"I certainly wasn't sleeping. Nope, not at all." Lafontaine responded and yawned shortly after.

"Fibber."

"Not all of us wake up singing songs with the birds as they help us sew a dress CinderPerry."

"Can you be serious for just one moment." Perry responded, her impatience evident.

"Whoa, whoa. What's got your panties in a knot?"

"You know I despise that word."

"Alright, alright. What's up Perr? You sound...tense. Well, more tense than usual."

"I have, a dilemma." Perry delivered with the urgency of a daytime soap opera actress.

"Well, spill it Susan Lucci."

"I've been asked out by a...female companion."

Lafontaine giggled softly, then broke out into full out laughter. Lola could almost see them now, still in bed, one arm propped behind their head,their cheeks rosy with amusement.

"It isn't funny Lafontaine!"

"But it's - you're - freaking out over a being asked out by someone?" Lafontaine managed to get out in between spurts of laughter.

"It's more complicated then that! If you're just going to laugh at me, I'm hanging up!" Perry fretted.

"Okay, okay. Just give me a moment." Lafontaine pleaded, after getting out a few more chuckles they spoke. "I'm sorry Perr. What's the complication, give me some details. How'd you guys meet?"

Perry sighed untying her bandanna, her face immediately swarmed with red curls. "We didn't meet per se we kind of already..." She paused for a moment. How would Lafontaine react if she knew it was Danny? Would she lie to her best friend? A lie was a harsh word, she would just skirt the truth. "...we met at a coffee shop - then, I don't know we just kind of hit it off and I think we mutually didn't want the night to end - so we went to a bar and we drank and danced - and she introduced me to the mildly unsanitary world of street meat - we text all the time and just talk about anything and everything - and she's absolutely gorgeous and charming oh, and career oriented and - "

"Perr, breathe."

Perry took in a sharp breath and then sighed dreamily. "Did I mention she's absolutely gorgeous?"

"Wow, you got it bad sister. So this chick, you seem to really like her and she asked you out, what's the problem?"

"The problem is, I'm not sure if this is a friendly outing or...a date."

"I see. Well, do you want it to be a date?"

"I..." She hadn't honestly posed the question to herself. Did she want this to be more than what it was meant to be? "I...don't know."

"Well there you go...wait, what?" Lafontaine questioned, the pitch of their voice raised slightly.

"I...I don't know."

"This is...weird."

"Weird? Really? That's the word you choose right now?"

"I mean it's just, when have you ever not been certain about things? Fighting vampires? Sure, a girl has a right to be flighty. That time we kidnapped Carmilla? Kidnapping is some serious shiite. But dates, dating? Perry you already have your wedding day planned. You dumped someone because they didn't have a 401k for crying out loud."

"Lafontaine you know as well as I do in this time of economic uncertainty..."

"You were 15!"

"That is besides the point an investment in your future is very important." Perry added, matter of factly.

Lafontaine sighed defeatedly and Perry could practically see them combing through their shortly cropped hair. Lafontaine had long given up their bangs for a highly quaffed hairstyle that Perry very much approved of.

"The point is Perr, you've never had a problem discerning between a potential date or relationship and a friendly fu - "

"Lafontaine!"

"Okay, okay. A friendly...encounter with someone that is going nowhere. You just have this very cut and dry idea when it comes to life, dating included. You usually have a read for what you want and don't want."

Perry sighed in frustration. "So what's changed? Why is she so hard to figure out?"

"Maybe it's because you genuinely like her Perr. You don't see her as a 'suitable companion'. Maybe you don't care if she's suitable or not? You're not factoring her in, you're open to simply letting her in and your brain doesn't know how to handle that. What you are experiencing Perry, is confusion."

"What?!" Perry exclaimed as if it were a dirty word.

"Yeah, weird."

"Well, I'm just going to have to figure it out."

"No Perr. That's not how this kind of thing works. There is no figuring it out, you just have to go and let things flow until confusion gives way to certainty."

Perry went silent. She never had to figure 'go with the flow', Lafontaine was right Perry knew every move she was going to make in her life. She was a woman who knew what she wanted, and got it. She wasn't one of those flowery girls, those plastic bag in the wind kind of women. There was one thing she was sure of and that was well...how sure she was.

"Hashtag deep." Lafontaine whispered.

"So I just go...no questions asked."

"Yep. So, get dressed, relax, don't be afraid to make some tea with those special herbs I left, and have some freakin' fun Perry, ok? No thinking."

"Okay. I love you, you know that right Lafontaine?"

"Of course. And you know I love you too, ya' lunatic. Call me as soon as you get back, I don't care what time."

"Bye."

"Bye Perr." Lafontaine replied, their sentence a half yawn.

Perry disconnected the call then gathered up her cleaning equipment. She'd prepare for her...outing...with Danny after she finished her chores, there was always time for chores.


End file.
